APC crisis: What Tinubu told me after I resigned as PGF DG – Lukman

The former Director-General of Progressive Governors’ Forum, Dr. Salihu Lukman who resigned his position on Monday has revealed that National Leader of the party, Bola Tinubu urged him to continue his campaign to return APC to its founding vision.

Lukman, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said since the news filtered out on Monday about his resignation, many party leaders, friends, family members and well-wishers have reached out to him with words of support and encouragement.

The party chieftain revealed that the national leader of the party, following the news of his resignation, many party leaders and members called to express their worries, adding that one of the party leaders who honored him with an invitation to meet him late on Tuesday was Tinubu.

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He noted that Tinubu commended him for championing the campaigns to reform the party and expressed shock that some members of the Forum were intolerant to criticism.

Lukman said Tinubu argued that any party leader who would not accommodate critical opinion on fundamental issue such as respecting decisions and especially a matter as sensitive as organizing the National Convention, which is the highest organ of the party, such a person is not a democrat and shouldn’t be associated with a party envisioned to be progressive, such as the APC.

“With these words, he encouraged me to continue with my campaign, which is what the party needs,” he said.

Lukman stressed that Tinubu declared his support to all decisions of President Buhari to ensure that the APC Convention is held in February 2022.

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He added: “Since the buildup to the 2019 elections, internal contests in the APC began to degenerate, while some leaders became intolerant and conducted themselves almost as tyrants.”

Lukman pointed out that some party leaders in the bid to emerge as candidates of the party for offices became hostile, while the party campaign drifted to almost war situations in many instances.

He stressed that every campaign to get the leadership of the party to commence the process of internal reform was resisted.

Lukman added that organs of the party stopped meetings as required by the constitution, while views of party leaders became decisions of the party.

He, however, noted that President Muhammadu Buhari disagreed with what was going on in the party and supported the campaign for reform.

Lukman said without going into all the details, the inspiration to set up the current Caretaker Committee came from Buhari based on the expectation of ensuring that the drift in the party was arrested.

He stressed that this was expected to produce a new leadership, which should emerge at the party’s National Convention.